The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is reminding residents to check their smoke alarms, as new research reveals that three-out-of-four people are unaware the life-saving devices require regular maintenance.
Each year on 1 April the DFES repeats this message hoping to ensure that each unit is capable of providing the critical early warning needed during a home fire.
DFES Commissioner, Darren Klemm said only working smoke alarms protected and saved households in the event of a fire in a home.
“When you’re asleep, you won’t see or smell the fire, which is why a working smoke alarm is so important,” Commissioner Klemm said.
“It is not enough to just have a smoke alarm installed — regularly cleaning and testing the unit could be the difference between life and death.”
He said a recent survey conducted by the DFES found that although 90 per cent of WA homes had smoke alarms installed, most residents did not know how to maintain them.
“The results concluded that 75 per cent of respondents did not know smoke alarms had to be tested every month and 58 per cent were unaware they needed to replace their smoke alarms every 10 years,” Commissioner Klemm said.
“People should consider regular maintenance on their smoke alarm an important part of maintaining any residential property.”
He also urged people to check in with their neighbours, especially if they were elderly or had been in their homes for many years, and ask if they needed help maintaining or inspecting their smoke alarms.
Of the 804 fires that occurred at Western Australian residential properties in 2020, nearly half did not have a smoke alarm.
